Two gold processing plants have arrived in the Cloncurry Shire in recent weeks, one of which has been transported from the Beaconsfield Mine in Tasmania, made famous when a miner died, and two others were trapped for 14 days, after part of the mine collapsed.

Junior miner Malachite Resources, which owns the Lorena Gold Mine, is funding the relocation of one of the gold processing plants, but many other gold miners in the region are expected to benefit.

John Walton, a local gold prospector and exploration manager at Lorena, says people are already in the process of staking out claims to gold deposits on their properties, in order to supply the processors.

"Once people know of gold, once they know they can sell their ore, then you watch the prospectors go out and start to peg mines that they've known for years - it's already started.

"Famous thing in exploration, it's called 'title is vital', and until you get title, you keep your mouth shut and say nothin'."